Posts Tagged ‘Vinod Khanna’

Suniel Shetty won an international Best Actor award for his role as one in Ananth Mahadevan’s film

MEENA IYER Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; November 10, 2009)

Suniel Shetty woke up to a pleasant surprise last week. The macho Bollywood actor bagged the Best Actor Award at the South Asian International Film Festival held in New York for Star Entertainment’s Red Alert — The War Within. The film, produced by T P Agarwal and Rahul Agarwal, is a gritty mainstream realistic film borne out of today’s headlines on the sensitive Naxalite movement and Suniel feels it is very important from the world cinema perspective because “Governments in countries like India and Nepal are dealing with Naxalites and Maoists currently.”

Red Alert is a delicately handled film of a true account of the reality about Naxalism based on Siaram Kavalsingh (Suniel Shetty) who finds himself in the midst of the movement and forced to make difficult, morally questionable choices. About his winning the Best Actor award, Suniel said, “I was surprised at this honour and humbled too.” Candidly he admitted that a majority of the Bollywood critics label him “wooden” and he is often subject to disparaging remarks in reviews. “I dread opening the paper on a Friday when my film releases,” said the actor. He is, however, kicked about Red Alert and feels that besides him all his co-stars including senior actors like Vinod Khanna and Naseeruddin Shah have also turned in great performances. “It just makes all the hard work and effort seem so much pleasurable,” said the actor. Of Naxalism, Suniel added, “There is a very thin line between being a revolutionary and being labelled a terrorist. Naxalites have nothing against their mother country, their fight is against the administration. And so Naxalites aren’t bad guys. They believe in a certain ideology that is different from yours and mine, but that doesn’t make them enemies of the country.”

The film, written by filmmaker Aruna Raje, premiered at Stuttgart and was bestowed with a five star rating by German critics and also won The Director’s Vision Award for its sensitive treatment of the Naxal movement. A New York critic said the film was admirable in its effort to inform of this tragic tide of violence. Suniel Shetty feels that perhaps the film’s brutal honesty is what got the attention of international film critics. After the world premiere, the film will also have an Asian premiere at the prestigious International Film Festival of India to be held in Goa soon.

Hema Malini has decided to go all out to restart her daughter Esha’s Bollywood career with Tell Me Oh Khuda. As Esha plays a girl who has to figure out who her real father is, Hema’s film has four veteran cinematographers, who will shoot different episodes of the film’s four lead actors.

The renowned cinematographers on board are Grant Appleton, Hayk Kirakosyan, Carlos Catalan and Burak Turan. While Burak Turan will shoot Rishi Kapoor’s scenes in Turkey, Vinod Khanna’s parts will be shot in Rajasthan.

Director Mayur Puri said, “First, we will shoot Esha’s scenes with Rishi in Turkey, followed by Vinod Khanna’s scenes. Then I will shoot the third and fourth portions. The four cinematographers will shoot the different segments to give each part a distinct look and flavour.”

Isn’t this film’s plot similar to Dil Ashna Hai which Hema Malini had directed in 1991? Puri replied, “My film and Hemaji’s Dil Aashna Hai are based on a quest. I narrated two to three ideas to Hemaji and she loved this one. Maybe she’s fascinated by the quest format.”

After Kaminey, Chandan Roy Sanyal will be doing his second big project, Tell Me Oh Khuda, produced by Hema Malini

By Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 20, 2009)

Hema Malini

Chandan Roy Sanyal

Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminey has done a world of good to Chandan Roy Sanyal, who played Mikhail in the film. He has now signed his second big project, Tell Me Oh Khuda, produced by Hema Malini.

Interestingly, Chandan had earlier refused the role when debutant director Mayur Puri had approached him. Chandan says, “I felt ki koi dost ka chhota sa role hoga. So I was rather reluctant to do it initially.”

Chandan consented only when Mayur narrated the entire role. Chandan has a long and meaty role, which brings comic relief in the film. Later, Chandan met Hema at her residence. “Both Mayur and Hema had seen Kaminey and were very impressed with Chandan’s work. He starts shooting from November 2,” adds a source.

Hema Malini signs Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor to star in her second production starring daughter Esha Deol

By Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 06, 2009)

Hema Malini

Yesterday, we told you that Hema Malini is ready with her second production, starring her daughter Esha Deol and Arjan Bajwa as a romantic couple. News is that Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor will also star in the film, which is tentatively titled Tell Me Oh Khuda.

A source close to Hema said, “Hema has taken a long time to put this project in place. Besides Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor, another prominent actor will soon be added to the film’s cast.”

Since the story revolves around a girl (Esha) who is in search of her father, we asked if it is inspired by the 2008 Meryl Streep starrer Mamma Mia! The source replied. “Although the story is different from Mamma Mia!, people may still think that it is based on the Hollywood musical.”

Does Hema Malini play Esha’s mother in Tell Me Oh Khuda? “Hema might be part of the film. She is not yet sure whether she wants to only produce it or also act in it,” said the source.

Hema’s film will be directed by newcomer Mayur Puri, who was the associate director for Yash Raj Films’ Dhoom. The film’s music will be composed by Pritam.

Bollywood Flick On Naxal Menace Will Also Incorporate YSR Chopper Crash In Bastion

Meenakshi Sinha | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; October 5, 2009)

New Delhi: Wedded to the gun and determined to manufacture an armed insurrection, the radical Reds have spread their tentacles across large swathes of the country. And Bollywood is ready to capture the growing menace in a forthcoming flick, ‘Red Alert: The War Within’.

“The film couldn’t have been more timely,” says director Ananth Mahadevan. He adds, “When I showed the film in Stuttgart, people around the world recalled their own rebellions. They had the same question that the film raises: does the end justify the means?” Viewers might also find shades of Kobad Ghandy in one of the film’s characters played by Vinod Khanna, says Mahadevan.

Since the late 1960s, the Naxalite movement has strongly appealed to a section of the urban youth as well as the rural masses. But there have been few films on the subject. Films such as Mrinal Sen’s ‘Calcutta 71’, a searing study of Naxalism, violence and corruption in the politically-charged Seventies, and Khwaja Ahmad Abbas’ ‘The Naxalites’ (1980), starring Smita Patil and Mithun Chakraborty, were exceptions rather than the rule.

Trade expert Komal Nahta offers an explanation. “Films on Naxalism are generally perceived to be depressing and, therefore, find few producers. The common man is not aware of the subject. Hence, it has a sectional or intellectual appeal” he says.

Sudhir Mishra, whose ‘Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi’ (2003) dealt with the problem, offers a different view. “Most Bollywood filmmakers mentally live in New York and London. They are illiterate about real India and find it unfashionable to pick up topical subjects,” he says.

Sudhir finds Naxalism appealing because it made some of the brightest men from affluent backgrounds, leave the comforts of their homes in pursuit of an idea. “When you explore Indian reality, you realise that over 150 districts are prone to Naxalism. That speaks volumes for its reach. Here, the violence is in malnutrition and lack of justice,” he says.

There have been some other films on Naxalism. Sanjiv Karambelkar’s ‘Lal Salaam’ (2002), starring Nandita Das and Sharad Kapoor, is based on true incidents of victims of police brutality in Nagpur turning into armed rebels due to an unresponsive government. The film flopped in most territories but became a surprise hit in the naxalinfested regions of Bihar.

‘Red Alert’ will also incorporate YSR Reddy’s chopper crash site in the Nallamala forests. “We replicated the entire forest in Khandala,” says Mahadevan. His art director, Sanjay Jhadav, canned shots of Telengana’s signboards, activities of the dalams (naxal groups), market streets and the village square where the cops were hanged and recreated them in Khandala.

Films like DIRTY DANCING and GREASE have enthralled millions of moviegoers across the globe. There have been few attempts to make out-and-out dance-based films in Bollywood, although there’s a barrage of dance-based shows on television these days.

FAST FORWARD, directed by debutante Zaigham Ali Syed, has some brilliantly choreographed songs, but there’s a hitch: Absence of a gripping storyline.

Actually, FAST FORWARD stands on a faulty story and the patchy screenplay only worsens the situation. The sole redeeming aspect of the enterprise is the dance numbers. That’s it!

FAST FORWARD tells the story of two friends, Rehan Khan and Akshay Kapoor, who are exceptional dancers. Akshay falls in love with Rehan’s sister Bhavna Pani, only to discover she was suppressing her burning desire to dance. Akshay shows Bhavna a whole new world through dance, but unknowingly they revive Rehan’s painful and dark past.

The story is full of contradictions. Firstly, the lead man is haunted by visions of his mother performing dances at sleazy joints and surprisingly, he aspires to be an accomplished dancer some day. But the moment his kid-sister wears her dancing shoes and starts gyrating, he actually throws a fit and gets those visions again that haunt him. Strange!

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Here’s another gaffe. When Rehan’s buddy Akshay professes love to Rehan’s kid-sister Bhavna, all hell breaks lose. Rehan severs all ties with Akshay, opts out of the dance group, even bashes him and also detests his sight. Sure, Akshay has a roving eye, but even to the viewer, his intentions this time [for Bhavna] seem honest, so why this fuss? Suddenly, in the finale, there’s a change of heart too!

The climax fight between Vinod Khanna and Mahesh Manjrekar is ridiculous. Khanna bashes up a dozen-odd villains like a 20-year-old would, which is hard to digest. Something like this may have worked when Khanna was in his prime, not today.

Zaigham seems technically adept, but he’s letdown by a tacky script. The songs are okay, although the choreography is top notch. ‘Taali Bajao’ – towards the end credits – is the best of the lot.

The youngsters pitch in decent performances. Rehan is natural. Akshay is equally at ease. Bhavna makes a sincere attempt. Siddhanth Karnick and Sabina Sheema are perfect. Each of them is exceptional in dancing. Vinod Khanna and Mahesh Manjrekar are wasted.

Although our tastes for film has improved manifold, we still don’t mind watching a hardcore action flick, where the hero is able to take care of more than a dozen criminals and escape unscathed. Wanted also falls in this same category. Although the film is bound with many loose ends, it still gives a thrilling experience. And Salman Khan takes the film to dizzying heights!

The story of the movie: Radhe (Salman Khan) is a one man army. He is a gangster who can do anything for the sake of money. Golden (Aseem Merchant), who works under Singapore-based Gani Bhai (Prakash Raj) invites Radhe to join his gang. Radhe becomes a part of Gani Bhai’s gang and nearly at the same time, falls for Jhanvi (Ayesha Takia). The eyes of Inspector Talpade (Mahesh Manjrekar), a corrupt cop at a nearby police station fall on Jhanvi and he desires to make her his mistress. Radhe then begins eliminating the rival gang members and also succeeds in impressing Jhanvi. But will Jhanvi be able to get into a relationship with a person like Radhe, who doesnt think twice before killing? And there’s a new Commissioner in Mumbai, Ashfaq Khan (Govind Namdeo) who has vowed to city crime-free. Will he become a threat to Radhe?

Wanted begins well and Salman Khan’s entry sets the mood wonderfully. However, after all character gets introduced, the film falls a bit and the story hardly moves. Thankfully, there are some funny interesting moments in the first hour that prevent the film from getting boring. The intermission point was gripping and was well shot.

But things lighten up in the second half after Gani Bhai’s arrest. Commissioner interrogating Gani Bhai was hilarious. Later, the kahani mein twist moment in the pre-climax takes the film to a new high. In fact, it was what made the film stand out. Even though the climax was a bit lame, one won’t complain, thanks to the wonderful suspense.

Each character in the film is well written. Radhe, Gani Bhai, Jhanvi’s landlord (Manoj Pahwa) and Inspector Talpade were my favourites. As for the flaws, the film gets little dragging at places and the narrative just doesn’t go ahead. Also, the wonderful suspense also raises some questions. However, the impact is so huge at this point that one doesn’t get the chance to think of any goofs.

After Partner, this is surely Salman’s next best performance. In fact, it won’t be wrong to admit that Wantedis one of the finest performances ever given by Salman Khan! He fills life and colour to the rowdy character that he plays in Wanted. Also, Salman’s thoda-good boy-thoda-bad boy image helps a lot in doing total justice to his role! Hence, Salman was the perfect choice for this film and he comes up with flying colours. Hats off to Sallu!

Ayesha Takia Azmi looks charming as everytime and manages to give a nice performance. Here’s an actor who deserves to get more and better roles. Mahesh Manjrekar plays the baddie with élan and also makes us laugh. Watch out for him in his entry scene and in his first meeting with Salman. Prakash Raj, a popular face down South and whose last Hindi film was Khakee, performs wonderfully. He is hardly there before interval but dominates in a lot of scenes in the 2nd half. Govind Namdeo gets a positive role after a long time and does a fine job.

Mahek Chahal was perfect in the role of the seductive moll. Aseem Merchant was simply fantastic. Why is this actor not getting enough roles? Manoj Pahwa was hilarious. Vinod Khanna and Inder Kumar do a nice job in their respective roles. The kid playing Ayesha’s brother leaves a mark too.

Sajid-Wajid’s music was energizing. Two songs steal the show, thanks to their execution-‘Jalwa’ and ‘Love Me Love Me’. Anil Kapoor, Govinda and Prabhudheva also make an appearance in ‘Jalwa’ which increases the appeal of the song. The song ‘Dil Leke’ is missing from the film. Salim-Sulaiman’s background score was good but could had been better.

Nirav Shah and S Sriram’s cinematography was outstanding and just the kind required for an action flick. Vijayan’s action was also praiseworthy. The action scenes were not foolish or funny but one which looked real and raw. Although the film has quite bloodshed, giving it an ‘A’ certificate was unnecessary.

Shiraz Ahmed’s screenplay wasn’t flawless but still works. However, his dialogues were phaadu, esp the ones mouthed by Salman! The best dialogue of the film is “Tu jis school se ye seekh ke aaya hai, wahaan ka headmaster mujhse tuitions leta hai!” Clapworthy, isn’t it?!

Puri Jagannadh’s story was indeed worth appreciating and appealing. This explains why three films are made from the same plot! Prabhudheva’s direction wasn’t top-class but still manages to come up with an entertaining action flick. His smart treatment to some of the scenes (esp the climax) enhances the film to a great extent.

Some of the best scenes of the film:1. Salman and Mahesh Manjrekar’s entry scene
2. The song ‘Jalwa’ and ‘Love Me Love Me
3. Radhe joining Gani Bhai’s gang
4. Radhe and Inspector Talpade’s meeting at the basketball court
5. Radhe and Jhanvi in the elevator
6. The intermission point
7. Radhe bashing up Talpade
8. Commissioner Ashfaq Khan interrogating Gani Bhai
9. Radhe fighting the goons in the local train
10. The last 35 minutes of the film

On the whole, Wanted is a cool action flick that will surely be loved by Salman fans. It has some loose ends but manages to impress. If you relish action flicks, this one is for you! Go for it and experience Salman Ka Jalwa!